“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope, of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18 (NASB)

Why is it that believers don’t believe they need to make any changes in their lives to be in alignment with the will of God? The majority of the church today practices “a form of godliness but denying the power” (II Timothy 3:5)

When we are born we quickly “learn” who can provide for our needs and look to that person to feed us, clothe us and love us. We are totally dependent on that parent. This is exactly the picture of one who is truly reborn, dependent on God the Father and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them in the truth. Often because of our physical age and pride, we forget we are “babies” and have no idea what to do or believe. The natural instinct (Holy Spirit) should have our eyes turning to Jesus for survival, just like the newborn baby. But that “natural instinct” has a struggle with allowing the flow of the Holy Spirit and we need to make the right choice and turn to the One who loves us unconditionally.

Newborn babies are not expected to remain one day old the rest of their lives. They grow and learn new experiences every day. They explore their new world, wanting to know everything this parent is giving to them and helping them to explore new territory. It doesn’t take too long after the baby learns to walk that liberties are taken and they want to take off on their own, doing “their own thing”. How early that man of flesh begins manifesting in us! But that is why the parent is there, to direct, to teach, to love and discipline the child to learn the appropriate behavior that will enrich their lives and fill them with the riches of His glory. Riches of glory in a child? Sure. Have you ever watched a baby see their first butterfly and the joy as they try to run after it and catch it? Or maybe the first time they experience the playfulness of a puppy? Children delight in these experiences and this is exactly what God wants His children to do throughout their lives in Him.

Jesus taught it this way, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4) (NASB)

Children love to explore their world. When we are reborn we should be so excited to explore our new world! We no longer are citizens of this earth. We are no longer under the dominion of the prince of the air! We are heirs of the King of kings and the Lord of lords! We now live in Christ in the heavenlies! Hallelujah!

The only way I know to begin exploring is to delve into the Word of God and get lost in the truth of who He is! So that takes me back to today’s verse. This verse is like dessert, each bite to be relished and enjoyed, exploring new depths of taste as we really sit back and allow our taste buds to experience the delightful flavors that make up the whole of the dessert. So let’s take “bites” and see what riches we find.

Our heart is the seat of our desires, feelings, affections, passions, impulses, intelligence. So Paul is admonishing us to allow our hearts to be enlightened with the truth of God’s heart, His moral and spiritual light so that we will know the “hope” of His calling. The hope is that we now have an expectation of a future filled with meaning, a longing for God’s life. We know that there is no hope in the world, our only hope is in Christ. But what is that hope? What is His calling? It is the invitation to the kingdom of God and all it’s privileges! And there we will find the riches of His glory, which include, a transformation of our character to line up with the character of God, His glorious moral attributes, His excellence and His perfection that changes who we were (corrupted by the world) to who we were created to be! This is His inheritance to all the saints!

Almighty Father, we bow down in Your presence, humbled by the incredible gift You have given us! We cry out for open hearts to see You and to know You. As Moses prayed, we too pray, that we want to know You as well as You know us! Nothing in this world can even come close to the wonder of Your love. Place a hunger in our hearts today to run after You and to never give up. You are our only hope and we run into Your arms, crying Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God Almighty sits upon His throne! We worship and adore You! Amen.